Access Profiles, Inc.

Are Civil Court Record Checks part of Your Hiring Process?

First up in this series ~ 

the 

Civil Court Record Check.

Civil Court Record Checks are the Forgotten Screening Tool!  “Tweet This” 

• Contracts ~ this includes disputes over an agreement, usually for the payment of money for services or goods.

• Personal injury ~ this is an action to recover damages (money) for injuries sustained due to the fault of others.

The federal courts deal with civil cases that either: 
A) involve a question of federal law, or
B) involve parties from two different states where the dollar amount of the loss exceeds $75,000.

Some examples of civil disputes that could be filed in federal court are:

• Suing for civil rights violations or discrimination.
• Suing for first amendment violations of free speech, free expression of religion, etc.
• Suing people for a loss they caused, if they are from another state.

While some of these are more important others in determining whether your candidate will make a good hire, being aware of them makes good business sense.

#hiringtips

Knowing whether your applicant has been involved in any of these types of civil cases can give you a better picture of their character. Are they honest and responsible? Have they had past issues with previous employers or landlords? Do they have a propensity of filing lawsuits? Knowing the answers can help you make a more informed hiring decision. 

Civil Court Record Checks are also a valuable tool in vetting anyone you are considering doing business with, either on a professional or personal level, such as home contractors, in home caregivers, etc. (Find out more about using background checks on these types of workers here!)

Civil court record checks are not necessary on all your potential hires, namely entry or lower level employees. However, they are invaluable when hiring for senior or manager level positions.

Many times these positions allow for freer access to sensitive company information and funds.  

These hires also represent you on a bigger scale with your clients and having a clear understanding of their character is key. Therefore, checking for anything in their past that can ruin your reputation is worth your time.

Remember, the people you hire for your company’s higher level positions are, along with you, the face of your company.


County courts are the primary source for a county level civil record check. While researching these records directly from these courts is the best practice, there are limitations.

For example, while the most up to date courts will have these records routinely entered into a court run database, some counties still use microfilm or even paper to store their case files.

Another problem is that most of these records are “name based”, with limited or non-existent mention of other identifying information (date of birth, social security number, etc.).  

The court may also contain records that are simply not relevant to you as an employer (divorces for example).

In addition, each county holds their own records and they are not shared county to county. With thousands of county courts in the nation, it is definitely cost prohibitive to check them all. You need to make wise choices as to which counties to check to best meet your needs.    

Because of this, your best bet is to hire a quality background check company to help you gather the information you need. They will be familiar with the record keeping policies of each county and can conduct the research required much more easily than you can alone.

You will find 5 Tips to Help You Choose the best Background Check company for You here!



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